An elderly gentleman, white hair, looked like a WWII vet, was angrily protesting being manhandled by the TSA agents (who only had three out of 12 lines open, line took 15 minutes to get through). A father behind me muttered to his daughter, “Wish that guy would shut up.”

I replied, genuinely bothered by how they were pushing the old guy around, “Ah, I like that he’s giving them a hard time.”

“Not if it slows us getting through the line,” the father replied, politely but firmly.

Politely but firmly, I replied: “I think it’s the TSA that’s slowing us all down.”

Given that the founding director of the TSA has called the agency useless and said it ought to be dismantled, given Benjamin Franklin’s quote “He who would trade freedom for security deserves neither”…it was damn good today to see an old gent with plenty of fight left in him protest at being treated without common, human respect.

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2199572 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F2011%2F09%2Fin-line-with-the-tsa-today%2FIn+line+with+the+TSA+today...2011-09-24+04%3A27%3A52Waylon+Lewishttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F%3Fp%3D219957 to “In line with the TSA today…”

TSA is a jobs programs creating an illusion of airline security. After nearly a trillion dollars over eight years they can't cite one success. The scanners weren’t in service a year before they spent $10 million upgrade to add privacy software that was already in use in Europe in 2009.
Of course, they still don’t detect PETN or other plastic explosives, which is irrelevant anyway TSA admitted in July that a human couldn’t conceal enough explosive to bring down an airliner, which is what an ABC investigation in December concluded, at no cost to taxpayers.
Meanwhile 60% of the freight in the cargo hold remains unscreened, half of that from foreign shippers, but they confiscate a 2” knife that their website says is allowed.
Add to that the 52 TSA screeners arrested this year for serious crimes, including two this week, one for rape and the other for murder. Of these, nine have been for sex crimes involving children. They can’t prevent crime within their own ranks, but we’re supposed to trust this agency with airport security.

This is a clear failure in management and explains why so many abuses are occurring. Mr. Pistole and the senior staff have failed miserably in managing this agency and must be replaced,